We went to buy his cake today and he, completely unprompted thanked the staff. In the supermarket he now walks with me, for quick shops only (rather than sitting in the trolley or pram) and natters the whole way; busses, music, birds, cars. He scoots straight past all the dolls and pink crafts and goes straight to monster trucks, robots and aeroplanes. He knows to hold my hand at all times. When we got home he refused to let me cook dinner and swung from my leg until I carried him whilst cooking so that he could stir. After dinner he told me that wanted cuddles with mumma and whimpered until I sat down with him and he hurriedly made conversation, becoming breathless in fact…just in case I would get up and move away from talking about favourite vehicles, animals, planets or dinosaurs.

He still feels a part of me, an extension. Not everyone will see this. I have learned an incredible amount about life through my boy in the last two years.

I eat more popcorn now than I have for many years, because he likes it. I used to be a definite salted girl, but somewhere along the lines, things changed. Apart from when it comes to masala popcorn, of course!

For this recipe I have used jaggery. Jaggery is a molasses like block, deep and smooth and is a product of date, cane juice or palm sap without the separation of molasses and crystals and can vary from light to dark brown in colour. Jaggery is typically combined with other ingredients such as nuts, coconut or condensed milk to make sweet delicacies. I am using jaggery because it has got to be better than using caramel and also, because I love the deep tones of jaggery. I know that jaggery has been used for Ayurveda as it contains minerals that aren’t found in sugar. I had added sesame seeds and peanuts, which make the popcorn taste quite festive when combined with jaggery. There is an aromatic hint of cardamom and a kick of heat. Give it a go.

Please be careful, melted jaggery is very hot and can burn you. Please don’t lick it for a taste test when hot.

Ingredients

175g jaggery

3 tbsp. toasted sesame seeds

75g toasted and coarsely chopped pistachio

1/3rd cup of popcorn kernels

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

¼ tsp. cardamom

¼ tsp. chilli powder

Method

Start by making the popcorn. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan and allow the popcorn kernels to pop and then cool the popcorn

Heat the jaggery on a medium to low flame in a non-stick pan. Be patient and let the jaggery melt. Cut it into smaller pieces to speed it up.

Once the jaggery is smooth, turn the heat to a very low flicker and quickly stir in the spices, blending them through evenly. Turn off the heat and let the jaggery cool until it is warm, but not piping hot.

Add the sesame seeds and pistachio and then the popcorn and stir quickly before it sets into clumps. Try and get an even coverage.

Featured Posts

Crispy, red pepper and goats cheese bites I had a good day on the Friday just gone. After a week of early starts with the school run and late finishes with work, I took time out on Friday. This doesn’t happen often (in fact it is very rare) despite my husband frequently persuading me about […]

Like this:

Breakfast cookies 2016 was an interesting year wasn’t it. Let’s not get into it, but I think the world outside and most definitely within, in the last year was fraught. But what did I take from it? I learned that perhaps in a world where shouting ‘look at me’ though the wide-open windows of social […]

Like this:

The wild effects of hunger I am one of those that has a frequently growling tummy and it is just best for all those involved (with me) that the beast within me (my appetite) is tamed, frequently. I don’t feel naughty with these balls of apricot, nuts and Kellogg’s special K. They are bursting with […]

Like this:

I like having structure and purpose to my day. I like the feeling of being expended for a worthwhile purpose, one that is driving me towards productivity and something meaningful. I like talking to people and delivering. I want to contribute towards a bigger picture and I want to learn. When I am hungry however, […]

Like this:

Nowadays my weekly menu is devised on bases a little like this; is it something that we can all eat, does it deliver on the ‘rainbow factor’, does it taste good, is it quick to make and can we cook it together? The latter is important because there are repeated demonstrations of my little boy’s […]